Saints brace for new challenges in Division V

DOVER — It might be a cliche, but many sports teams coming off a championship season live by the mantra of "forget about last year," in some form or another.

JOHN DOYLE

DOVER — It might be a cliche, but many sports teams coming off a championship season live by the mantra of "forget about last year," in some form or another.

For the St. Thomas Aquinas football team, it's literally true. One year removed from running the table en route to the Division V championship — and winning most of its games by a substantial margin — the Saints find themselves in a new league in 2012.

Division IV is their home now, and with the move comes eight new opponents on their schedule.

"It's a new everything," said Eric Cumba, the Saints' second-year coach. "There are pros and cons. We're new to everyone else. We know last year means nothing. I know that's something most coaches would say, but it's a new challenge and we're excited. We're up for it."

The focal point of the Saints' offense in 2011 — which scored 443 points and scored 40 or more eight times — was all-state running back Ryan Monette. Now a senior, Monette rushed for 1,438 yards and pulled in 416 receiving yards with 25 touchdowns as a junior and will have the bull's-eye on his back in 2012.

"I'm trying to get my teammates to play at the level I'm playing at," Monette said. "We're a young team this year, and we want to be a speedy team."

His teammates say they're up to the task.

"Everyone has to step up," said senior tight end Luke Devaney. "We need to play fast and hard and play the game the way it's supposed to be played."

Cumba said he doesn't expect Monette's production to drop one iota in 2012, despite a far tougher schedule.

"This offseason he's made himself an even better athlete," Cumba said. "He's more explosive than I've ever seen him. He's a threat every time he touches the ball."

Knowing full well that the rest of D-IV will be keying in on Monette, Cumba said it will be up to the other offensive players to do their part on that side of the ball.

"We have to be creative from a coaching standpoint," Cumba said. "We need to create mismatches when teams are gunning for Monette. Other players need to step up and carry the load. It's going to have to be a program-wide effort."

Cumba said he expects offensive production from junior running back Jake Geppert, senior running back Peter Yarosewick and senior tight end Ryan Geppert. Junior Joe Karsonovich will likely be the starting quarterback, and he will have senior wide receiver Tapley Taylor and Devaney as prime targets. All-state kicker/punter Hayden Middleton is also back.

Defensively, Cumba said his unit is speedier than it was last year, when it allowed just 134 points all season, including the playoffs. The defense is under the guidance of a new coordinator, Justin Wright, who played linebacker at the University of New Hampshire and was a teammate of Cumba's with the Wildcats.

Corey Begley and Sean Poole will provide the senior leadership on the front lines on both sides of the ball.

"Our 'D' is looking good," said Yarosewick, who was key on defense for the Saints last season at linebacker. "We're hoping to get a lot of push up front. We want to make a lot of plays in the backfield."

The Saints' know winning in D-IV won't be as easy as they made it look in their final year in D-V. Only one other former D-V team made the jump, and that was Windham, the team St. Thomas beat in last year's championship game.

"We look at it as more competition," Monette said. "I definitely think we have a chip on our shoulder. Other teams know we went 11-0 last season, and they want to show us that Division IV is a whole new league."

The Saints visit Windham on Sept. 22. The other eight teams St. Thomas faces are unfamiliar faces, including a home game against defending champion Trinity of Manchester on Oct. 12.

Other challenging games on the St. Thomas schedule include its season opener on Saturday against Kennett, and 2011 playoff teams Laconia (at home on Sept. 15) and Plymouth (on the road on Oct. 20, the second-to-last game of the season).

The Saints wrap up the regular season at perennial D-IV power Hanover just six days later. The jam-packed schedule, heavy with contenders near the end, means every game will be akin to a playoff game.

"Every game is important," Cumba said. "A hiccup in Week 1 can cost you. We have to focus week to week so we're not in a position where we're worrying about it come the last games of the season."

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